His Signal Played Favorites

After sending the photos, I tightened my grip on my phone.

"Nora, do you seriously have to keep score right now?"

Someone from the towing company kept telling him to sign the paperwork.

Jason lowered his voice. "They impounded the RV. If I don't fix this today, the whole trip falls apart. Just send the money first."

"So you saw the photos?"

"Yeah."

"And the medical report?"

"I don't have time for this, Nora. I'm not letting all this content go to waste."

"I told you three months ago I was done paying your bills."

"You were mad. I didn't think you meant it. I'm on the road—I can't keep up with everything back home."

I stared at the IV taped to my hand.

"Everything back home? Is that what my emergency surgery was too?"

Wind howled through the phone.

Then Mabel cut in.

"Jason, are we still going live tonight?"

He went quiet for a few seconds. "I've put too much into this trip to stop now. Just help me fix this, and we'll talk when I'm back."

"When you livestreamed the sunrise for Mabel, your satellite phone had signal, right?"

Jason paused.

"That was work."

Then Mabel took the phone.

"Nora, blame me if you want. But don't pressure Jason while he's on the road. He's exhausted."

I sent him photos of the collection notice, the towing notice, and the unpaid balance for our wedding venue.

Then I hung up.

That night, Jason posted a photo of the RV parked outside a rest stop.

[Being out here is hard enough. Even harder when everything back home starts falling apart.]

Then our mutual friends started blowing up my phone.

Every message said the same thing.

[Stop making things harder for Jason.]

I shut off my screen.

Then another collection call came in.

They said if they still couldn't reach the borrower, they'd call the emergency contact.

I texted Jason.

[Don't let my mom find out.]

The message just sat there.

***

In the middle of the night, the doorbell rang.

I went to the door.

Through the peephole, I saw Jason standing there with a bag of roasted chestnuts.

Back when we first started dating, he'd driven across the city just to get them for me.

He came back with his freezing hands tucked into his sleeves, smiling. "I'd never forget what you like."

The second I opened the door, Jason stared at my hand braced against the frame.

"Why aren't you wearing a jacket?"

He reached for me.

I stepped back.

Then Mabel came out from behind him, wearing the spare outdoor jacket I'd mailed to the RV.

She didn't look at me. "Jason, is my charger still in the guest room?"

I kept one hand on the doorknob and didn't move.

Jason stepped in front of her.

"She'd just come down from the mountains. The headache and chest tightness wouldn't go away, so I brought her here to rest for one night. I didn't tell you because I knew you'd misunderstand."

"I was in the hospital." I said it again. "So you brought her to our apartment?"

Mabel clutched her chest and ducked behind Jason.

"Nora, I can leave. Jason was just scared something might happen to me."

He grabbed her arm to steady her.

"Every hotel in town was booked. She still hasn't recovered, and the oxygen machine is here. I couldn't leave her on the street. You were never like this before."

I looked at their hands. "I paid for this apartment. My name is the only one on the deed."

Jason glanced at Mabel, then back at me. "I know. But we're getting married. Don't make this a thing. Just let her in."

Mabel looked toward the guest room.

"Maybe I'll stay in the same room as last time. I already know where everything is."